Dengue fever risks increase in Mekong Delta

HCM CITY — The number of dengue infections has risen significantly in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta, particularly in Cần Thơ City and the provinces of Đồng Tháp, Bến Tre, Cà Mau and Tiền Giang, according to the Ministry of Health.

Đồng Tháp Province has the highest number of dengue cases in the delta, with over 1,000 infected cases, including 72 serious cases and two deaths, with high rates in Cao Lãnh City and the districts of Lấp Vò, Cao Lãnh and Thanh Bình.

Dr. Dương Ân Hận, director of the province’s Preventive Medicine Centre, said the province had an average of about 50 dengue fever cases per week.

“People do not care about taking preventive measures. In some cases, patients visit doctors too late thus the infection becomes serious.” he said.

Dr. Huỳnh Minh Trúc, director of Cần Thơ Preventive Medicine Centre, said the city had seen nearly 600 cases of dengue fever since the beginning of the year.

Cần Thơ’s Children Hospital has conducted 853 in-patient dengue fever treatments from patients both inside and outside the province, and about 2,600 out-patient cases, an increase of 10 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Dengue fever often occurs in children under aged 15, with 84 per cent of total infected cases in Cần Thơ and surrounding areas.

In Bến Tre Province, more than 700 dengue fever cases have been detected since the beginning of the year, a drop of 20 per cent against the same period last year.

However, more dengue infections are spreading through all districts in the province, with one death occurring in Giồng Trôm District’s Tân Thanh Commune.

Cà Mau’s Women and Children Hospital said the number of children hospitalised for dengue fever rose against the previous month, with 379 in-patient cases.

The number of dengue cases increased by 148 per cent in May and 405 per cent this month, compared to the same period last year.

Dr. Trần Thiên Lý, head of the Cà Mau’s Woman and Children Hospital’s Intensive Care and Anti-poison Department, said that dengue infections over the last two weeks were increasing in number but also in seriousness.

Preventive measures

The province has seen three kinds of four types of dengue viruses, with 83.7 per cent being the D1 type, according to the Tiền Giang Province’s Preventive Medicine Centre.

Dr. Nguyễn Trung Nghĩa, deputy director of Cần Thơ City’s Department of Health, said the city People’s Committee and the department had implemented many plans to prevent and control the disease, organising campaigns to kill mosquito larvae in the city.

However, the number of dengue cases is still increasing.

Đồng Tháp’s Preventive Medicine Centre carried out a second campaign in June and a third in August, killing larvae and spraying insecticides to kill mosquitoes.

Infected patients can be infected again and again, even more dangerous than the previous times.

Nguyễn Thanh Long, Deputy Minister of Health, said that dengue-fever preventive vaccines had not been used in the community as the price was high and residents doubted the efficacy. Thus, taking preventive measures is necessary.

In rural Việt Nam, people have a habit of using jugs or tanks to hold water, which creates favorable conditions for mosquito larvae.

The Ministry of Health has recommended that people cover all water tanks, release fish into water tanks to kill mosquito larvae, replace water in flower vases and remove waste materials.

People should also sleep under mosquito nets in un-airconditioned rooms, wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, co-operate with the health sector in chemical spraying and preventive methods, and immediately visit hospitals if they have a high temperature. — VNS